Take the first step towards a circular economy for ink cartridges! The cartridges you hand in are carefully made suitable for reuse, or ‘remanufactured’, by RecycleClub through a careful process. We give each suitable cartridge a new life, or even four new lives, allowing you to print more with a lower CO2 footprint. Want to know how this works? Read on…
It all starts with an empty cartridge. First, all returned ink cartridges are collected and sorted by our sorting center. The empty ink cartridges are then sent to our production location. Because the quality of the empty cartridges varies, we focus on sorting and the first visual inspection of all incoming cartridges. All cartridges are sorted by type and quality before they are used in a further production phase.
During the inspection, the sorted cartridges are tested for functionality. In addition to a visual inspection, we test whether the electronic circuit of the cartridge meets our quality standards. Only the cartridges that pass this check proceed to the next phase.
First, all cartridges and electronic parts are thoroughly cleaned. In this way, we lay the foundation for an excellent end product. All old ink residues are rinsed away with purified demineralised water, which we produce ourselves in our own purification system. This system removes all ions and other impurities before it is used in production. And the waste water from this process? That is neatly treated in our waste water system before it leaves the factory.
After rinsing, the cartridge sponges are dried and water residues are removed using centrifugal force. In simpler terms: we use hot air to blow the cartridge completely dry. The original sponge and walls are removed. This is replaced with a larger sponge to maximise the ink and capacity of each cartridge. The cartridges are then weighed and sealed before they enter the filling process.
The cartridges are filled under vacuum. The speed of filling is very important here, to prevent any air in the cartridge. After filling, all individual cartridges are weighed to ensure the correct ink levels are achieved. Each cartridge is tested and assessed for print quality. If a so-called print-out does not meet our quality standard, the cartridge is cleaned and retested or rejected.
In addition, we attach an identification label and production code to all remanufactured ink cartridges, so that we can easily track them later with the track and trace code. That is very convenient!
The penultimate step to complete the circle is packaging. The ink cartridges are given beautiful RecycleClub labels and are packed in airtight bags. The cartridges are placed in boxes to which instructions for use and empty bags are added. The cartridges are placed in large numbers in cardboard boxes and prepared for shipment to the retail chains.
Finally, you can buy the remanufactured ink cartridges from RecycleClub online or in a store near you. In this way, we turn your old cartridges into a sustainable and high-quality alternative to the original. As soon as your cartridge is empty again, you can return it to us. In this way, we complete the circle!
Do you want to know more about our sustainability mission? Click here!
